When It's Over?
by seghen
Summary: The war is over and Voldemort has won...so far. Hermione is trapped in a prison, not knowing that the only reason she is alive is so that Malfoy can have her...OVER! AN on 6.14.06
1. Default Chapter

One year, nine months, one week and four days had past. Voldemort had won in a battle more crazed and passionate than any other. Malfoy had chosen his side.

It had been more chosen for him, but no one seemed to care about that. His father had been proud of him when he had died, and that seemed to be all that mattered. But it was not.

Harry Potter was still alive, meaning that the prophecy was to go unfulfilled until either he or The Dark Lord killed one another. If this did not happen, it would never truly be over. Voldemort felt fear that he had only felt for one other person before...Dumbledore.

But he was gone, he had dove in front of Ronald Weasley, that red haired prat, blocking him from _Avada Kedavra_. Weasley had disappeared along with Potter, leaving only one behind...

Hermione Granger hated and loved Malfoy more than anyone could. They were secret lovers before he betrayed her and sided with Voldemort, though the Dark Lord understood the boy's intentions perfectly. He was not to kill this Hermione Granger.

In the last fight both Malfoy and Hermione had battled, though neither of them dared to mutter the two fateful words, knowing that they still wanted each other. He knew that when the war was won he would take Hermione, no matter what she had to say about it.

Malfoy had dreamt of doing this for years, even when they were enemies. But she was hardly loose enough to lose her virginity before marriage, but she wanted him just as passionately. He dreamed of her almost every night, remembering how he had tried to persuade her to join his side, the winning side.

Hermione Granger was and is a powerful witch, perhaps one of the most powerful of all. She uncovered new runic incantations used to heal, and her ambition was to become a Healer.

She would have made a hell of one, too. After the war was over all the warriors from the other side were either detained or killed, though it was up to the Death Eaters to decide. Voldemort cared little for these people, though he did wish that all the mudbloods would be killed, he knew what young Draco wanted.

The ones who were kept would eventually be sold into slavery, kept from escaping by similar magic used by the house elves. It took him one year, nine months, one week and four days but at last he found her. He found Hermione Granger.

**I love it when the relationship is all dysfunctional, it makes a more interesting story. I know this chapter was short, but I'll elaborate next chapter.**


	2. Whole again

**THANK YOU, Amalia Bradley, Catjetrat and Tori for ur reviews! Oh, and Tori, there _is _a difference (for me) between dysfunctional and rape. I wouldnt take such a serious topic and poke fun at it, so dont worry.**

Draco Malfoy stood in the doorway, his muscular frame casting a shadow down on Hermione Granger. She was different than before, her fingernails outgrown, her skin completely covered in dirt. She cowered in a corner, trying to avoid the darkness. Her night terrors had intensified.

She did not acknowledge Malfoy's presence, she just sat in the center of her cell, trying to retain warmth. The guard looked at her briefly before turning. "Master Malfoy, she is a feisty one, but if your _interest _in her is because of her looks..." The man began, ushering towards Hermione.

"I'm afraid that you should look elsewhere. Before the final battle she and some others cast a hex on themselves to prevent their bodies from being taken advantage of." He explained, though Malfoy only smirked in return. She was always a clever one, very realistic.

"How much?" He questioned, turning to th guard with something unfamilar glinting in his eyes...joy.

"Nineteen galleons, sir Malfoy." He responded, his voice a bit too earnest for Malfoy's _conservative _tastes, but he ignored the tone.

"How long has she been like _that_?" Malfoy questioned, looking down on her cowering figure. The guard shrugged before replying.

"A few weeks. She lasted longer than others, but sooner or later they learn to detatch themselves from their bodies." His voice was filled with spite and disappointment, but all Malfoy could do was watch her carefully, his gray eyes sparkling in the darkness as he watched his love shiver.

"How soon can I have her out of here?" He asked quietly, continuing to stare at Hermione unblinkingly. The guard already had his wand out, waving it in the air, a stream of dark blue smoke billowing out of it. Almost instantly a smaller, more peaky man appeared before him, his eyes watery and empty.

"Yes?" His voice was deeper than would be expected from someone his size. Malfoy hid his surprise well, clearing his throat before speaking.

"I would like to purchase her." He snapped, this swift anger returning to his voice by the second. The watery-eyed man nodded, a key appearing in his bony fingers.

"She will be bound to you by magics not unlike that possessed by the house elves. Though you will be in charge of her punishment, she can disobey you. For a simple nine galleons more you can purchase an item that will tether her to you..." Malfoy waved his hand in agreement, hastily bringing out a handful of gold coins, counting them carefully.

"Get her out of there," He sneered, unable to see Hermione confined in such a small cage, dirty and cold. The guard nodded, snatching the key from the small man beside him. The instant the cage _clicked _Hermione stirred jumping to her feet. Malfoy had the daunting idea that usually such a noise meant torture.

"Get over here, Mudblood." The guard hissed, his voice much less pleasant than it had been with Malfoy. Hermione backed herself into a corner, squinting her eyes.

"Settle down," He snapped, grabbing the girl's bony arm and pulling her out of the darkness. She kicked his stomach, showing amazing strength for one who looked so small and weak.

"Let go of me!" She screamed, elbowing the guard's chest, her eyes alight with almost-lost passion. The man whipped his wand out, holding it in front of him threateningly. She recoiled backwards, wincing the instant her body touched the shadows.

"Someone is here for you, Mudblood. Now stop hiding and come out before you make me do something that I want to." She stepped forward brazenly, squinting her eyes in hope to see her 'purchaser'.

"Harry?" She called out in hope, praying that at long last he was here to save her. Malfoy flinched at her words, two blots of pink rushing on his cheeks almost instantly.

"No," He replied coolly, watching with amusement as a look of pure horror grew on her face, her nostrils flaring in recognition of the voice.

"Put me back, PUT ME BACK!" She shouted to no avail. The guard with the damned wand was in control, not her.

"I'll kill myself if you let him touch me!" She proclaimed strongly, seeing as she had not eaten in days. The guard snickered at the comment, pushing Hermione forward.

"You can do that for all I care, but I'm sure _Master _Malfoy will do his best to prevent your escape." Her eyes were wide with terror as she pushed into the guard, hoping to find refuge in her cell. _Just kill me, Avada Kedavra, that's all you need to say. I refuse to be a slave to this _"bastard!" She cried out as Malfoy grabbed her emaciated frame and pulled her out of her chamber. His eyes were exactly the same way that she remembered, but he had grown. His muscle mass was far more than she recalled, though she dismissed this thought from her mind immediately.

"Granger," He sneered, slipping back into his _Hogwarts _persona, eying his ex-love with strange yet obsessive interest. The cell that used to be her prison now seemed to be her only hope.

"Kill me, but I will not become Draco Malfoy's servant." She hissed into the guard's ear before biting it viciously. With all of her strength she threw Malfoy and the watery-eyed key holder back, racing through the narrow hallway that confined her. Hermione was smart, perhaps even a genius, and she knew that she had little chance of escape, but only a fool would not take the risk.

Malfoy knew her better than anyone else...even Harry, admittedly, so her escape was futile. He knew where she was going.

In a desperate attempt to confuse she ran into a narrower hall, knowing that this would be unexpected. Instantly she regretted not snatching the wand from that guard's grubby fingers. _Maybe they will kill me..._she contemplated, knowing that she would rather die than be back with Malfoy.

They were in love, a love that did not come along ever century. They were two perfect halves, soulmates, regrettably. He _betrayed _her and though the bruises that plagued her mortal body would fade, betrayal cuts far too deep. There would always be scars.

Malfoy did not want to leave Hermione to die, he wanted her to come with him. She should have known that Voldemort would defeat those pathetic _impure _witches and wizards. However, she stayed with _Harry _and _Ron. _If he could he would kill both of them, just for taking his love from him.

She refused to use her better sense and stayed, pushing her one true love away. _We would have been so powerful..._but she could not think like that. They were both strong and clever, assets to either side, good or evil. Voldemort allowed her to live, though Malfoy was unaware of the true reason...

Hermione ran as fast as her weak figure would allow, licking her chapped lips compulsively as she changed corridors on a whim, not really knowing where she was going. She could hear cheers and boos surrounding her, fellow prisoners either congratulating her on her escape, or cursing her for beating them to it.

Ignoring this, she concentrated on her instincts. She and Harry had once studied a map out of this very prison. _Where is the entrance..._but it did not matter. It was over before it began.

"Hello, Granger." A cold voice drawled from behind her. Knowing who it was, she continued to sprint, not wanting to be _his. _The very thought of it was vulgar. His powers of _persuasion _were powerful, he almost had her convinced to switch sides two years ago. He could not touch or harm her bodily, the prison had already done that, but the _emotional _damage he could inflict was astounding.

She did not hear him speak again though suddenly her body hit the cold dungeon floors. Hermione knew that it was over, but she still struggled to get to her feet.

"Still a fighter," He whispered inaudibly, though she could hear them. They always had that odd connection between the two of them that no one else seemed to possess. With that she felt another hex hit her, unconsciousness swallowing her entire being...


	3. Memories

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I LOVE reviews, and I love ALL OF YOU! Heehee, well, I like this story so im not gonna quit on it. But if you want updates quicker, REVIEW!**

Hermione Granger thought the worst. Every muscle in her body, every inch of her being ached with unbelievable pain. _Is this death? _She wondered, the thought almost immediately dismissed as she heard a distant voice.

"The Dark Lord does not appreciate your impertinence! I will have no more of this. Is it true that you have been reporting to _Harry Potter _on occasion?" She recognized the pure rage, the sound of each breath. _Malfoy..._

Whoever he was interoggating was either not answering or was being very quiet about his responses. Either way Malfoy flew into a fit of rage. She winced as she heard the sounds of shattering glass and the screams of the prisoner, begging for mercy. _Knowing him he will just kill him more painfully, _she realized bitterly, angry with herself for knowing him so well.

Hermione tried to pry her eyes open but it felt as though they were pasted shut. Her head ached and she could hear her stomach grumbling. Pressing all of her weight to the left side of the mattress she was on she realized where she was..._Hogwarts?_

One of the greatest wizarding schools of all time had shut down over a year after the war had intensified, just before Hermione and the rest of the seventh years graduated. It did not seem to matter, though. They had little time for their studies.

Fondly she recalled Malfoy sitting by the lake with her, reviewing Potion's notes, twirling her hair in his fingers affectionately. Ron had grown to surrender his utter hate for the boy, though Harry was slower to forgive. They comprehended, though they did not quite understand, her feelings for Draco Malfoy, and they respected her far too much to insult him...at least when she was around.

**FLASHBACK**

**(I'm not usually into these things, but it seems necessary)**

"Name the three main ingredients used to make a _Stomach Fire _syrum." Hermione barked to her boyfriend, reviewing three years of Potions notes just for this occasion.

"Wolfsbane, nine hairs from a yak bred in May and cinammon." He joked, forgetting the last portion of the recipe. Hermione laughed at the blatant attempt to amuse her as she read out the final ingredient.

"The practical examination should be simple enough," Malfoy stated, remembering the O.W.Ls with some contempt. It had been Potter's fault that he had not received an _Excellent _on his DADA practical exam, but he put this behind him. Hermione loved her friends, _a little too much, _he thought quickly, dismissing the thought.

Hermione had changed drastically over the past two years. In her fifth year she had stayed up all night studying, distressing over how in the world would she pass, no, _exceed _the expectations. She was more level headed and cool, not the same hotheaded _mudblood _that Malfoy had remembered.

"I hear N.E.W.Ts are hell, though." She commented fairly, though she did not seem to overwrought over it. She knew her own strength and was well aware that she could outdo herself.

"Oy, Hermione! Malfoy!" A familiar voice called out, Ron sprinting towards them full speed, papers fluttering behind him. Hermione raised an eyebrow, wondering why he was not chasing after his own parchment. Then she saw the look in his eyes.

"Ron?" Her voice was dangerously anxious, she had only seen that expression a handful of times, all which concerned He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, though Hermione had grown accustomed to calling him Voldemort, along with Harry.

"Something fishy is going about. The whole dungeon's in disarray. It looks as though some _Death Eaters_, or their children," He shot Malfoy a quick look before turning back to his friend.

"have taken all of Snape's materials. Harry is sending and owl out to The Order right away," His voice hushed at the mention of _The Order of The Phoenix, _a secret organization out to stop Voldemort.

"You two, come with me. We think that it's best that we all stick together so, if they're still here, they can't pick us apart one by one." Malfoy sniggered, two pairs of eyes darting towards him.

"What? We would be like lambs to a slaughter, Weasley! If the Dark Lord wants us dead I doubt a handful of teenagers would be able to stop him." By the look on Hermione's face he knew immediately that he had said something very stupid and wrong.

"This _handful of teenagers _have thwarted **VOLDEMORT** on several occasions. Harry has taken him on single-handedly more than for times and has always come out of it virtually unscathed." Malfoy sneered at the mention of Potter again. He hated how she always jumped to his rescue, to defend the Boy That Lived, or the Boy That Just Wouldn't Die.

"Ooh, if you feel so safe with Potter why don't you two just run off to him and have a nice group hug." Hermione noticed the jealousy in his voice and squinted her eyes almost immediately.

"This is no thte best time to flaunt your petty jealousies, Malfoy." She snapped, but infuriating and annoying Malfoy. She had not called him that seriously for nearly a year.

"Petty jealousies? Now someone has themselves on a rather high pedestal." He sneered, knowing perfectly well that it was true. He hated how she was already right. If looks could kill Malfoy would have dropped dead in an instant.

"If these Death Eaters are still around Harry'll need us." Ron piped in, annoyed at how ignorant Malfoy was being. Hermione and Draco were still locked in a death-stare, neither one of them willing to break it.

"Fine," Malfoy declared dejectedly, light pink patches surfacing to his cool, beautiful pale skin. Hermione nodded curtly, already on the road to forgiving her lover for such insolent comments. As they scooped up their materials screams sounded in the distance, pleas for mercy were proclaimed inside the castle.

"Damn..." Malfoy mumbled, snatching Hermione's arm and pulling her with him away from Hogwarts.

"What are you doing?" She hissed, fighting back. _I will not leave Harry alone! _But Malfoy was stronger, tugging her as hard as he could.

"If we get off of these grounds we can apparate for help, the _both _of us. Weasley'll help Potter, and we can get some authority here." Hermione scowled at his obvious slight of their Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, but finally gave in. If they were going to survive this they would need more than a schoolfull of children...

**THE END OF THE FLASHBACK**

**I really hate those things, but it seemed necessary to show how Malfoy and Hermione were (I dont know why but I just cant call him 'Draco' all the time, it seems too strange) and how their relationship was. Ill update ASAP but some reviews would help persuade me...PLEASE, if you read this, just press the submit review button and write what you think!**


	4. New faces, old places

**Thank all you guys who reviewed the last chappie! Please, i need some more reviews! im greedy with them, but that's what shows me that u like the story. i wrote one before this but no one reviewed so...i put all of my energy into this one! Hope u like!**

Hermione fell back into a restless sleep, dreading seeing her old love once more. What was he going to do with her? In the last battle he seemed unstable, falling into fits of rage every opportunity. She prayed that he had a cooler head.

As she laid in _her _bed, she listened to the sounds of pacing footsteps outside the door. She did not dare call out, in fear that it was a Death Eater or worse..._Voldemort._

Curiosity bested the young witch as she forced her eyes open, surveying her surroundings. The draperies that hung over the windows were a light periwinkle, a color that she was unfamilar with inside the castle. As Hermione noticed this she also realized that the only bed in the room was the one she lounged on..._a teacher's room_? She wondered, at first doubting this but her mind was made up when she noticed the tall, seemingly-useless spindly contraptions planted all around the room. _Dumbledore's bedroom..._

Without warning the door swung open, a tall, muscular shadow looming in the darkened hallway. Hermione bit back a scream of shock, not wishing to give the intruder any satisfaction.

"Ah, Hermione..." A familiar voice mumbled, Hermione's eyes widening as she recognized the man in her room. _It cannot be, it cannot be..._it was. Before her was the unmistakable form of Percy Weasley, third eldest of the Weasley brood.

"Percy," Hermione spat the name out with what she hoped to be contempt, though on further reflection she realized that she had betrayed her own surprise to the odious man in her chambers.

"I have long wondered where you were off to. Mister Malfoy had assigned me the task of finding the prison that held you. I am rather pleased to say that I succeeded most greatly." An evil smile flickered across the red-haired man's face. Though she had liked him the least out of all the Weasley's she had still expected better from him.

"If you mother could see you..." She proclaimed, anger dancing in her eyes. She no longer felt the pain that was customary with being hexed twice, the rage bubbling inside of her fueled her.

"Too bad my mother is dead, along with many of the other _respectable _members of The Order Of The Phoenix." Percy replied with a cold, calm aloofness that was usually expected from a Malfoy.

"Betray your family? Your blood?" Her wonderment got the best of her as she interrogated the revolting man before her, though he was just amused at her fiery behavior.

"A year in prison did not remove that spark, did it?" She was uncomfortable with his tone but ignored it, jumping out of the bed and staring at him defiantly.

"You disgusting excuse for a man, how dare you be disloyal all those you loved you, even if you were undeserving?" She could not help but smile as the confident grin faded from Percy's face.

"I go where the power is." Her responded dismissively, attempting to conceal his fluster and frustration that Hermione could still get the best of him, no matter their surroundings. He was living like a prince doing what he was asked and she was scum scooped off the bottom of a cell floor and she _still _could anger him? He had refrained from those emotions years ago, yet she could still spark his humanity.

"Why am I not dead, Weasley? I heard Voldemort was getting hex-happy with all the remaining members of The Order, and yet here I am, alive and kicking." She flexed her leg to illustrate her point, watching as Percy's hands clenched into fists.

"I do not know why Master Malfoy wishes you alive, but it is not my job nor right to question my betters, and I need not answer to you." He barked, though his voice was no higher than hers. His urge to slap her grew by the moment.

"I thought that you were a Ministy lapdog, yet here you are. I remember my fifth and fourth year, how you and Fudge made fools of yourselves declaring Dumbledore senile and Harry insane. You clung to the _system _then, did you not? I suppose the thickness of blood means nothing to you." Her words stung worse than any poison, but Percy just leered in return. Any joy that lingered in his eyes years ago had faded. He was just a sad, pathetic puppet. It was almost nauseating to see him so.

Percy whipped his wand out, waving it in the air strangely, whiffs of dark blue smoke expelling from its tip. _This is it, I am killed by Percy? _Hermione wondered, scowling. She had never thought that her death would be so pitiful...yet she did not die.

In almost an instant four Death Eaters appeared by the door, their wands out and ready as well. With faint surprise she backed away, groping onto a window in hopes that it would magically pop open.

Percy and the Death Eaters just laughed at the ignorant assumption. "We know better than to keep the windows and doors unjinxed, Hermione." His use of her name made Hermione want to retch. In an instant the Death Eaters flocked around her, snatching her arms and hips, jeering and taunting her. She felt the familiar anger and disgust fill her as she focused her rage on the people around her, at last having enough strength to...

"AVADA KEDAVRA!" She shrieked, her eyes rolling back in her head for but an instant before the guards released her, their laughter intensifying.

"Look at this stupid Mudblood! She doesn't even have a wand and she's..." But the Death Eater was unable to complete the sentence as a wave of green rushed over him and his surrounding comrades, their bodies falling to the ground like bricks...

"I don't need a wand, you stupid twats." She snapped in reply, kicking the bodies as she stalked out the room, knocking Percy over (seeing as her rage was not directed at him) as she snatched the wand straight out of his hands.

**I'll explain how she is able to accomplish this in the next chapter, and remember...more reviews mean happy Seghen and happy Seghen means quicker updates:)**


	5. The Escape

**Thank you all ye faithful reviewers! Im going to try to update daily (or even twice daily) because im only going to stay with two or three stories until i finish them. And to Taintless (thank you for reading!) Dont worry, Ill explain why she could not do that in the prison and how she could do it without a wand. Enjoy...**

Hermione did not think, she just ran as though her life depended on it (though it probably did), she could hear Percy screaming out for _Master Malfoy, _and she shuddered. How could he be so cruel as to turn to the dark side?

Dismissing the thought she traveled through the hallways rampantly, unconsciously recalling the fact that she had been here before. It was definitely Hogwarts. As she ran through what used to be the Charms Corridor she felt a light sinking feeling in her stomach..._Malfoy is angry._

Hermione hated the connection she shared with him, though in prison she had been too malnourished to notice it or even care. She could tell that he had performed a spell on her to heal her from the wounds and scars that she suffered, and one to fill the bottomless pit of a stomach that had not been satisfied in over a year.

She, Harry and Ron had perfected a syrum in the end of seventh year right before Malfoy's betrayal where they would be able to (with enough anger, fear and nourishment) kill more than one people without the use of a wand. Of course if the attackers were not wandless they could deflect the curse, but it was usually effective enough to surprise them.

In the prison cell where she was inhabited in the beginning of her capture of course she attempted the curse...several times, but in vain. Her _chambers _were blocked off against and Muggle-born magic (how they accomplished this she would never know) and after weeks of being abused she no longer possessed the strength to accomplish such a thing. _Thank you, Malfoy. _She thought to herself, glad that she was no longer a weakling.

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX**

"WHERE IS SHE!" The usually eery calm voice of Draco Malfoy barked, Weasley almost thrown against the wall at the sound of him.

"I don't know, sir. Try a locating spell." He mumbled in reply. Percy was always great in school and knew all of the _required _spells, hoping that one of these would save him from death.

"I've tried but Her..._Granger _is too smart for that. With her wand she could have performed various protection spells! There are too many exits to cover them all..." His voice was lost as he considered the options. He knew Hermione and knew what she was like. Where would she go...

"Which way did she turn, Weasley?" Malfoy sneered, remembering the other tall red-haired coward who bore the same name. Percy pointed too his left, too afraid for his life to speak any further. Ignoring him Malfoy raced down the hallway, positive where she would be heading.

"Charms Corridor..." He mumbled as he traveled the familiar route, remembering all the times he and his cronies sneered at Gryffindors and Mudbloods in these halls, all those lost memories. As Malfoy past the statue of Sir Himsy-Toital the second he recalled when he and Hermione had hidden behind it when Filch was scouring the corridors for students out of bed. It was the first time that they kissed...he could have stayed behind that small, obnoxious statue all night...

_Enough reminiscing, _he scolded himself. He _would _have her again, no matter what. But to be with her, to hold her, she would have to be found. If she escaped into the open God only knows what would happen. She would most likely be instantly found by her gallant friends and taken under their wings, never to see him again. The mere thought made him bubble with rage and anger. _No, they will not have her. _He assured himself, hoping that it was true. With a sly smile he continued to run down the hallway. _She will be mine once more._

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX**

"_Alohamora_" She hissed, listening to the calming _click _of the Charm's door. If this was her chance to escape, she would take it.

With agility she sprinted into the classroom, locking the door behind her, pushing some remaining books and chairs against the door in fear that a Death Eater or worse..._Malfoy _would find her here.

Hermione leant all of her weight onto the window, but it would not budge. "_Alohamora,_" She said again, this time in less of a hiss and more of a command. Percy's wand, though not quite as good as hers, was still decent, but the window did not budge.

Despite her fear of being apprehended she gently picked up a book called _Charms for Children _that was lying idly by and broke the window with it after perfroming a silencing charm in hopes that no one outside would hear the earshattering sound of breaking glass. She was successful.

Hoisting her body up she climbed out the window, letting her body drop the many stories to the grass...she was mere feet off the ground before she muttered a charm to make her land on her feet, unscathed.

She said the same charm that Mad Eye had used on Harry to help her blend into her environment. _I can see Harry and Ron...again! _She tried to mute her joy, secretly wondering if Malfoy had ever become an Occlumens. He would have been talented...

Dismissing the thoughts of Dra..._Malfoy, _she crawled in the grass, peering up at the moon, thanking God that it was not full. _I'll get into the forest, go far enough so that I can Apparate..._

Little did she know that Malfoy knew exactly what she planned...

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX**

He waited in the forest for her, almost restlessly. He had no doubt in his mind that she would turn up just as he knew that the sun would rise the next morning. How he knew her movements, her actions so well not even he could explain. He just did, that was the only explanation he could offer.

She raced through the forest, hoping that no _undesirable _creatures would see her lurking in their woods. She was not sure how she would explain to them, they would most likely just kill her on sight without waiting for an explanation. She swallowed hard at the thought. She had always thought that Voldemort or Malfoy would be her end, not some four legged monster.

Luck was with her. None of the beings that she had seen paid her any attention, perhaps they could not see her, or maybe they just did not care. She did not know what force was dragging her east in the woods, she just continued to wander, unconsciously traveling to the exact spot she and Malfoy had once stood when Hogwarts had been under attack.

He stood there, waiting for her breathlessly. She was still alive, her fiery passion still alight inside her, her soul still burning and licking her insides with its intensity. He wanted her unlike he had ever wanted anyone, but he would not harm her. He had not intention of raping her, even if she did not have that hex on herself. Malfoy wanted her willingly, the only way that he would be satisfied.

Hermione did not want him. She was disgusted with him, she had believed that he loved her. But then the betrayal came. Truthfully he wanted her on his side, but she was no traitor...she dismissed the memory, not wanting to dig up any more pain. She refused to admit that Malfoy still had an effect on her, and unwanted feeling, but he still held power over her.

Without realizing it she arrived at the exact spot. Her mind pushed away the memory, but somehow she knew who would be waiting there for her. He stood before her, his arms crossed cockily, as though assuming that she would not kill him.

"Bad girl." He teased, his gray eyes piercing her. She stiffened her upper lip, fighting to not show any emotion. _If only he knew..._she thought bitterly, just wanting him to leave her alone. She attempted to apparate, but she was not off the Hogwarts grounds yet...

"You're coming back with me, lover."

**Heehee, im allowed a cliffie every once and a while, huh? Haha, well, reviews are REALLY appreciated! Suggestions, please, praise, hate, anything? Well, Ill update ASAP, i promise. But lotsa reviews would hasten this process...**


	6. New War, Old Love

**Hehee, i love my reviewers. u guys rock my sox! hehee, i get so giddy whenever i get reviews (ya, im a weirdo) so, i hope you like this new chappie! i wanna thank all of you, so, here I go...(you all deserve a TON of credit) avchocoholic, Taintless, DevilAngel05, Dusty Brown, Kristen, Hanna, godsangel715, Amalia Bradley, CatJetRat and Tori. Keep up the reviews:) **  
Hermione involuntarily gulped as she faced Malfoy. Even his posture was annoying her, the way that he held himself, as though bragging that he was truly superior. Just by the stupid smirk on his face she could see that he thought that he would win this. For someone who knows me so well, he doesn't know me at all.

"Hello, Malfoy." She attempted to keep her voice calm, though the bubbling anger boiling inside the very pits of her were very distracting. She did not let her fear get the best of her, people like her ex-lover bathed in such feelings.

He walked toward her intimidatingly, his gray eyes looking very menacing in the pale moonlight. "I would just like to leave now if it's no bother to you." She said sarcastically, hoping that this pathetic attempt would be convincing enough. She was stupid to assume such a thing.

"Oh, it's quite a bother Granger." He adopted her use of surnames quite coolly, though she could see through his icy facade.

"Just let me go." She asked simply, not an edge of worry in her voice. Such vexations were simply intolerable.

"I could never do such a thing, I've looked for you for over a year, and within one day you escape my grasps twice. Don't make me use the imperious curse." It was a lame excuse for a threat but an effective one at that.

"They will find me." She felt no reason to elaborate on the they, for he was well aware of who she spoke of. Malfoy was shocked to see how calmly she was reacting to him, but he sensed that it was just a defense mechanism.

"They will not." He replied, an edge of anger appearing in his usual icy cool demeanor. She grinned sheepishly, knowing that she had won this battle. He was the first to drop their informal act. Now that he had done so she felt no dire need to continue the useless charade.

"You killed Ginny." She exclaimed with a forthright and commandeering tone. The bastard just smirked in reply, not bothering to defend himself.

"There are casualties in war. I did my best not to kill you, but I could hardly promise the same for your hex-happy comrades. She would have cursed me into oblivion if I did not kill her." The corners of Hermione's mouth twitched as though she ached to say something in reply, or even cry. But she was all cried out and had no plans to bear her soul for anyone, especially him.

"How did you get here so quickly?" She asked, trying to move the overly-civil subject away from her friends. She really did not want to know who else had died in the Final Battle, though it was not as final as many thought.

"I have my ways." He replied mysteriously. Hermione cringed with annoyance at his seductive tone, though she knew that he could never seduce her...well, not again.

"How is the Muggle world, has Voldemort taken it over yet?" Malfoy flinched at the name, meriting a smile that did not quite move to her eyes from Hermione.

"Afraid to hear your master's name?" Again she had made it sound like she was in charge, despite the circumstances. Another thing that he ardently admired and loved about her.

"You're lucky that you are at a safe distance, Granger or I would be forced to strike you." He did not seem so distraught over the thought. He had always liked to have power and although he had never hurt her while they were dating, he had come close.

"I'd like to see you try." She replied confidently, wielding Percy's wand out in front of her. Malfoy faked a frown before speaking as well.

"And we were just catching up. Tired of talking already?" He teased, watching as Hermione's eyes caught on fire with a mixture of rage and amusement. He never ceased to surprise her.

"Yes, though I would prefer if you would just get out of my way so I could leave this infernal place." She snapped complacently, though she was perfectly well-aware that he would do no such thing.

"It's been a long time and we don't even get to reminisce?" The cocky sound of his voice aggravated her more than ever. She recalled laughing at this nonsense, batting her eyes at him, wondering what their children would look like...but that was all in the past. Time to look at the now.

"You look well." She replied stiffly, barely moving her lips at all when she spoke. He smirked in return, no show of actual emotion penetrating through those cool, hypnotic eyes...

"As do you. I am glad to see that you have regained your strength quite well, but I was wondering how you were so easily able to kill four Death Eaters, wandless, no less." He attempted to retain a calm and collective demeanor but she just sniggered in return.

"Why, does your Dark Lord wonder how a little Mudblood wench is capable of that kind of power?" She interoggated, surprised and amused at the look of disappointment that grew on Malfoy's face.

"Clever girl." He responded, brushing a tendril of blond hair off of his face before continuing.

"I did not think such a feat was possible but you have yet to disappoint me, Herm...Granger." He finished defiantly, though Hermione seemed to not care in the least what he called her.

"When we administer the Veritaserum we will find out soon enough." He responded, his drawling voice as cheerful as ever...at least in this past year and a half. He had not been truly happy since he was with Hermione.

"Why don't you be a good little witch and come back with me, no dueling needed." Malfoy was perfectly aware that this was a stupid suggestion. The only thing that Hermione prided above her intellect and friends was her pride, and she would not allow him to wound it so.

"Death first, Malfoy." He winced at the use of his surname but ignored it righteously. I'll have a word with her once she's under my control. But he knew that she never would be. She was a free spirit and refused to be under anyone's control, especially his.

"It's your choice." His confidence unnerved her, had he changed so significantly over the past year? She dismissed such thoughts and prepared to engage in a duel, knowing that she could never kill him, only incapacitate him.

Hermione's rage and death-longing for Malfoy was a brief stage that she went through after his betrayal, but now she tried to will herself into indifference for him, though she never could. If he knew her inward struggle he would just jeer.

"Shall we engage in this properly?" She questioned, all of her instincts telling her to hit him with a stunning spell and run, but she refused to be a coward, another one of her admirable qualities.

"We shall." The beam that took over his face was so strange and unknown, Malfoy's were infamous for their sneers and smirks, but he actually looked jolly, happy. Finally, a decent match for his keen intellect.

The shook hands briefly though he longed to touch her just a bit longer, that animal craving tugging on his insides, though she does not look so afflicted by her feelings. Oh how she could conceal them.

They locked eyes though she wanted to turn away, to run from those cold yet soulful gray eyes. Malfoy just wanted to stare into hers for all eternity, bathing in the emotion and humanity that basked in her dark brown eyes.

"Accio, wand!" She called out first, though he was quick to deflect.

"Wingardium Leviosa," He snapped in reply, lifting the entire bed of leaves up around Hermione, confusing and annoying her.

As she muttered a countercurse he changed position, shooting a stunning spell in her direction, though she avoided it quite nicely, retaliating with a disarming incantation.

She inched towards the line that separated Hogwarts from the world, hoping that if she could just get the far...but it was a distant hope. He would never let go.

Neither of the two dared to use any of the Unforgivable Curses on one another, though Hermione would not admit to herself why, though Malfoy does not bother to deceive himself with ridiculous lies.

Despite her one year incarceration she was still one of the best duelers he had ever come across. Even if he did attempt the pain or killing curse he realized that it was more than likely that she would just deflect it. She was powerful beyond measure...something else that Malfoy loved her for.

He noted the beads of perspiration growing on her brow as she hexed him wildly, her concentration waning. Just one slip up...but she would not allow him to finish that delicious thought she stunned him, though he recovered quickly.

"Good girl," He sneered, licking his lips. She scowled at this action, her anger and desperation fueling her. She attempted to apparate but it was still a no-go. Noticing the look on her face he spoke once more, continuing to aggravate her beyond measure.

"Oh? You can't apparate, well...that is just too bad Granger." The impediment curse skimmed her left shoulder, though she recovered nicely, shaking her head quickly before continuing to curse him.

She refused to fall into his mind trap and would just duel him until his downfall. No need to play any games whatsoever.

"Such a strong little witch, I can't wait to break you, like a horse." By no means did he mean this, he wanted her intact, but he needed to rattle her. She was too talented to just go down willingly.

She resisted the urge to rebut, however her next stunning hex was much more powerful and almost penetrated his shield, and this shocked and angered him. How did she retain all of this strength after her endless mental and physical torment? He would have to ask later.

"Did you ever think about me as you were chastised, the whips licking your milky white skin?" The sensual allure in his voice was sickening, but Hermione attempted to drone it out, her ears abuzz.

"I thought about you plenty. Every time some trollop came my way, I saw your face. You were everywhere." Hermione longed to lunge at the bastard and rip his throat out the Muggle way, but she pride and common sense knew better than to do anything of the sort.

She directed a curse at him over her shoulder, at last hitting him square in the chest. The mockery died from his eyes as he became as stiff as a board before dropping to the forest floor. She wanted to taunt him, to hurt him for hurting her, but she knew better. He was a powerful wizard and would be able to take control of his motor skills at any time.

Hermione fled, running deeper into the forest, sensing that it was time to apparate. "Stop there, Mudblood." A formidable voice proclaimed, though she ignored it. The wizard was shocked that so easily she dismissed his command, but she did not care.

"Crucio," He hissed, his red eyes alight furiously under his dark cloak. Hermione was used to this and she let out a strangled cry, but otherwise showed no sign of pain. Still, she could not concentrate on apparating.

With the swish of her wand she whirled around, looking face-to-face at The Dark Lord, Voldemort, his wand drawn as well.

**This one was long(ish) for me, anyway! Sorry it took more than a day but i had a memorial day party (it was funn) cuz im so popular...heehee, sure. well, reviews are LOVED and i love all of you! (he, now i sound like a fink but big deal) ill update soon but the more reviews, the hastier the updating! And thank you to Taintless for pointing out the spacing thing, that does get annoying. I was using a school computer so, heh, unreliable!**


	7. Faceoff and Realizations

**THANK YOU ALL for reviewing! Heehee, i feel like such a loser but i get all giddy whenever i get reviews...so, make me GIDDY! i hope u like this new chappie, i wrote it in social studies cuz my sub was REALLY boring.**

Hermione retained her composure, knowing better than to betray her befuddlement to the evilest wizard alive. Voldemort smirked malevolently, instantly knowing what young Draco saw in such a young, beauteous creature.

She was different than all the other girls, she had a mind and used it, and she was no coward. She knew how to condeal fear and anxiety, knowing that bringing these weaknesses to light would do nothing to help her in such a situation.

"You are stronger than one would assume, Mudblood." Voldemort sneered as Hermione began to inch backwards, hoping to reach an area where she could apparate. No such luck befell her.

"_Avada Kedavra!_" She screamed out suddenly, waving her wand lightly, though such a notion was unnecessary. She wanted to make sure that he stayed dead.

Voldemort smiled as he deflected her attack. "Clever little witch, I heard that you can perform wandless magic. Let us see some." He was playing with her and she refused to be the pawn of such a game.

"I'd rather not," She drawled out, mimicking Malfoy's tone. Voldemort concealed his surprise at how gutsy she was by releasing a hollow laugh.

Hermione knew that the only person who could kill him was Harry, or he would kill Harry. She knew better than to bother with a futile attack. She needed to conserve her energy for more _prominent _causes.

"I don't get why you just don't kill me. I refuse to help you in any way and if Harry was going to 'rescue' me he would have done so by now. I refuse to comply with any of your needs and if you _touch _me...I'll turn this wand on myself." She pressed Percy's wand to her chest threateningly, smiling contentedly as Voldemort attempted to disarm her, but was unable.

"Nice try." The fact that she was using herself as a hostage was nearly laughable but she did not dare to. Walking backwards she nearly stumbled over a rock but continued backing up, relishing in the look of hopelessness on Voldemort's face.

Willing to risk her death instead of allowing her escape, he quickly shot out two stunning spells to stop her, one narrowly hitting her shoulder. She froze instantly, her body tightening as her arm dropped, her wand no longer pointing to her chest. Cursing she scanned her surroundings, fighting to regain control of her muscles.

Voldemort released a mirthless laugh, slowly sauntering up to Hermione and snatching her wand out of her clenched fist. The Dark Lord leaned his mouth up to her ear, feeling her recoil.

"You're no use to us dead, Mudblood." Voldemort hissed before hissing a curse under his breath. "_Crucio_" The stupefying spell had worn off and she was already writhing in pain on the forest floor, though she tried her best not to make any noise. That would only encourage him.

"Release her," The familiar drawl commanded, the reluctant Dark Lord placing his wand back inside his robes, eying Hermione angrily.

She panted anxiously, concentrating on apparating...but she was too weak. It did not matter how hard she tried, her body remained firmly planted and corporeal.

"Help me bring her back to the castle, my Lord," Malfoy kissed the hems of Voldemort's robes, a grunt of disgust escaping Hermione's mouth. Neither of them seemed to notice.

Taking advantage of this she climbed to her feet and began to limp further into the woods, praying that her strength would return in time...it did not. Malfoy had caught up with her in time, though he did not stop her with spells, but with a steady arm.

"Hermione," His voice was dripping with sickening compassion. She just shuddered in return.

"Let me go," Her voice was weaker than she would have liked. She enjoyed being strong and resolute, but she sounded like a meek, simpering child. The very thought of this disgusted her beyond belief. The darkness concealed most of his face, but she could see the rage and sorrow in his eyes.

"No, you will be mine again." He replied, his lips stiff and his eyes cold and unfeeling once more. She would not allow that to be his excuse.

"What am I? Some damned prize to be won? I chose. I chose good, I chose the morals that I knew, and I kept my loyalties. I do not wander where the power is, like you. I reply on what is right." These words stung worse than any curse could ever have. Only she could affect him in such an undesirable way, she was the only one with such power.

"You do not know this world anymore. Evil crawls in every crevice, your beloved _friends _are hiding out, away from the Dark Lord." He watched as a passionate flash of worry filled her eyes.

"My parents?" She croaked, barely able to speak those words. They had helped keep her alive in that dreadful prison, along with Ron and Harry...and even Malfoy, though she would never admit to it.

His hesitance worried her, but at last he answered. "Your mother went quick, she was in a group of other Mud..._Muggles_, and all of them were disposed of." He tried to keep his voice dismissive, but it did not quite work.

"And father?" The compassion in her voice dug deep into him. He hated knowing how horribly she felt, but he dismissed these feelings. Such emotions would be considered weaknesses in the eyes of _his _Dark Lord.

"He is not dead. I am unaware of where he is." He betrayed the fact that he had been keeping tabs on her family, but she was too disgruntled to notice. Biting back tears she nodded, longing to apparate. But she could not.

"Don't even try, lover." His voice was back to mocking, but she ignored it. Hermione forced her mind to repeat the fact that she did _not _love him...anymore.

"You'll never have me. You can possess me, use the Imperious Curse on me, but you will never _have me _again. I don't want you." She lied, though her cold words sounded like truth. He ignored her.

"You don't know what you want." He responded with equal aloofness, grabbing her shoulder and jerking her forward with surprising strength.

"Unhand me, you fool!" She cried out with indignance, a look of amusement flitting across Malfoy's face. He did not release her, but continued pulling her forward. The affects of the Cruciatus Curse still lingered, and she was no longer as strong as she used to be. Struggling seemed futile.

"I want to find Harry, help him! He still has a chance of surviving..." She stopped speaking the instant her gaze met Malfoy's. There was something of smugness in his glistening gray eyes.

"Not as long as we have you," A cold voice replied. She knew it was Voldemort and she shuddered, hating the thought of him being within an arm's reach of her, hell, she hated knowing that he was even _alive_.

"According to the prophecy, as long as we have you, he cannot win."

**Heehee, i love a good cliffie! Next chappie'll be more about the prophecy, but reviews quicken this process...catch my hint? c'mon, click the lil review button and write what u think...hate it? love it? suggestions?**


	8. And the question is

**Heehee...im back...hope u like! this one i wrote in math 2day cuz she took our journals so we couldnt take notes anyway, and this seemed like more fun! PLEASE review if you like it, hate it, or imbetween it! I wanna thank and devote my forever love and adoration to my reviewers!**

Hermione ceased her struggling and Malfoy nearly released her. Voldemort just smirked in return, his bloodred eyes glistening malevolently in the fading light. The sunset made him look even more menacing.

"What?" It was evident that Malfoy had no idea what this prophecy was. Voldemort had an air of uncaring around him and glanced at Hermione's horrified face.

"In your time you will understand, Draco." His misty voice was almost calming..._almost _was the imperative word.

"Harry doesn't need me," Hermione sniffed defiantly, trying to force herself to believe it.

"We promised each other that if one of us died, we would move on." Color flushed to Malfoy's face as the words washed over him like ice cold water. He had the sinking feeling that 'moving on' was not limited to the battle.

"When did you become involved with Potter?" Malfoy sneered in a forcedly uncaring way. Voldemort was shocked.

"After you abandoned me," Her anfer continued to stab at him, each attack more painful that the last.

"We cannot allow her to go to Potter. It will be our end if they consumate their relationship." Raging and bubbling anger filled Malfoy quickly at the mere thought.

"I wasn't just going to let her flounce over to Potter, My Lord. I don't want the two of them..._snogging _any more than you do." Hermione just chuckled, despite her predicament.

"Ha, me and Harry sleep together? Not again." She laughed nervously, Malfoy's head slowly turning to her. She was bluffing, but he did not know that.

Voldemort, however, did. "She lies. It is impossible, the prophecy clearly states..." He stopped himself before he revealed any more information. Malfoy's nostrils flared with indignition and the Dark Lord turned to him, ignoring Hermione's inquiries.

"Draco, would you be ever so kind as to escort Miss Granger to her quarters?" Malfoy complied, a slight glow of satisfaction replacing his once bubbling anger. She was still unhad.

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO**

"You're quite lucky that the Dark Lord allowed you to inhabit Dumbledore's _former _quarters. Personally he prefers them." Malfoy's attempt at small-talk was sickening.

"When Harry finds me..." She threatened in a blunt manner, Malfoy's eyes narrowing at the mention of the pansy.

"Do not speak that name in my presence, Mudblood." He snarled, returning to his regular Death Eater-esque manner of speaking. Hermione resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

"Or what will you do? Kill me? Even if you wanted to your _Dark Lord _has made it quite clear that you need me for something." Her voice oozed with confidence that was not quite her own. She had become a master bluffer.

Malfoy sneered in reply, pushing her forward onto Dumbledore's bed, her chocolate brown hair falling onto her face as she stumbled forward. "Git!" She snapped angrily, adjusting her hair and fixing her position.

"I let you live and this is how you thank me? With witty banter and attempted escape?' The question was meant to be rhetorical, but Hermione answered it anyway, a fury clouding her eyes that he had never seen before.

"You LEFT ME! You abandoned me, tossed me aside as you searched for darkness! I knew that you were a power whore but I hoped that you had changed, but you did not. We were supposed to fight this _together, _not on two different sides!" She exclaimed breathlessly.

He bit right back. "We could have been together, serving under our Dark Lord, but you refused. I did not want to leave you, I wanted you to join me..._us, _lay where the power is, not rest in your dwindling numbers, death an open invitation. I had no loyalties to Potter or the rest of them. All that I wanted was _you._" She sneered at this comment, jumping to her feet. She refused to have the low ground in an argument like this.

"I loved you and trusted you!" He winced at the use of past tense, but nonetheless refused to seem discouraged by this.

"We should have been together, we would have been the most powerful witch and wizard to ever grace the planet! The world would be ours!" Hermione fought back just as eagerly.

"No, the world _is _his! We would just be some foolish pawns in his ruthless game to kill all Mudbloods and let Purebloods roam free! You were a fool to assume otherwise. I love Harry, Ron, and the rest of the Order, but _you _took them away from me." Her accusatory tone stunned him, but he refused to be speechless.

"Well, you have bad hair!" He growled angrily, only realizing how immature and juvenile it sounded once Hermione began to laugh, giggles racking her body at the stupidity of his insult.

"Oh, now I'm going to tattle to McGonagall for hurting my feelings." She teased as the laughter eased. Malfoy looked completely insiduous.

"Sleep well, Granger." He sneered, unable to take the jests from her any longer, embarrassed that he had lost so wholly to _Hermione_. Behind him he locked the door with four jinxes, none of which could be undone by _Alohamora_.

**Helloop! i wont be able to update til sunday or monday, even. goin 2 my cousin's grad party! woohoo! n e readers PLEASE leave comments, love it, hate it? suggestions? next chapter i will elaborate on this prophecy...**


	9. A prophecy revealed

**All of you are _sooo _lucky that im as wonderful as i am. today school was hell. i went to spanish, then gym (damn, it was SOOO hot) and, when walking in the hallway, this little jerk threw something that hit me in the eye. Now i have a cut over my eye (another inch i couldve been blind, yay) but i got to go home early, so now i write this to you, my glorious readers! review, please, because I LOVE YOU!**

Like a stubborn and angry child Malfoy stomped away from Hermione's quarters, muttering something about women and mudbloods under his breath. His true fury was not at her...it was at his master. How could Voldemort _neglect _to mention the fact that she was needed for anything more than just his own selfish needs?

"Lord!" He called out loudly, his voice piercing the entirety of the hallways, Death Eaters looking mildly shocked that the usual cool and composed Draco Malfoy was losing his nerve.

With the swish of a cloak Voldemort lazily rounded the corner, various Death Eaters attempting to kiss the hems of his robes, but he paid no attention to them. "Yes, young Draco?" His strangely high yet cold voice questioned, though there was no urgency in his tone.

"I insist on knowing the contents of this so-called prophecy...my Lord." He added quickly as the Dark Lord's nostrils flared at his indignance. Draco Malfoy was no coward, this he appreciated, but to be spoked to in such a manner? It was utterly insulting.

"Follow me to my chambers, Draco. You others stay behind. Watch the girl, she is more capable than any of you could even imagine." Despite the offhanded insult the Death Eaters skulked away, though Malfoy followed him almost persistently, like a dog.

Muttering an incantation his door flew open, revealing a strange yet familiar sight for both of the evil lords. The room was cloaked in black draperies along with books detailing the darkest magics and how to stay off of the detection of good wizarding folk.

"It is quite a good thing that after all of those years of following Harry Potter about that I never did away with that Granger girl. I did not learn of her role to play in the coming battles until after our little _excursion _in the Department of Mysteries." He began, his high pitched voice filling Malfoy with a shudder of fear. There is anger in his reminiscent tone.

"The prophecy is an ancient one, professed by Cassandra herself...Sybil Trelawney's great-grandmother." He explained, though Malfoy was growing bored of the backstory. He just wanted to know what _his _Hermione had to do with all of this nonsense.

"I do not recall the exact wording, though when I came over this prophecy I was sure to savor the memory by using Dumbledore's pensieve." His voice glowed with reminiscence once more, though this time he sounded jolly. Defeating Dumbledore was the highlight of his unnaturally long life.

"Would you please just tell me?" Malfoy allowed his voice to be sharper than usual, though such a thought was ridiculous. He was lucky that Voldemort was not in one of his tempers, or he would easily be dead.

"Fine," He replied smoothly, annoyed by the boy's arrogance.

Voldmort tapped on his pensieve dramatically with his wand, silver goo swishing around gently inside the basin. "Come forward, Draco." He commanded, his red eyes no more than slits as he beckoned the reluctant Death Eater forward.

A woman, much more beautiful than Sybil Trelawney, appeared outside of the pensieve, though she had the same wild eyes. She looked peaceful, but her face was gaunt, as though she was frightened. Without acknowledging them she spoke in a deep, monotonous voice.

"A war like no other against good and evil shall be waged. The decision is in the hands of the unknowing. The one with the birth a fortnight and five days into the ninth month will determine the outcome by her own choice. If she is to bear the heir of one who is straddled between both sides, the Darkest, most evil and powerful Lord shall overcome all obstacles. If she is to have the child of the Dark Lord's equal, one whom he hath marked without intention, light will prevail." The woman fell back into the basin almost gently, though she never blinked.

Malfoy turned to his Dark Lord with a look mixed with revulsion and shock blended onto his pale, yet smooth face.

"What does this mean, my lord?" He questioned breathlessly, though he knew the answer very well indeed.

"Do not be a fool, Draco. You understand it perfectly." He snapped, though he elaborated anyway.

"A woman born on the nineteenth of September will determine solely who wins this war. If she is to bear _your _child, we shall be victorious. If she consumates her relationship with Potter, they will destroy us."

**Thought it best to leave it at this. Kinda cliffie...but everyone needs one of those! PLEASE, REVIEW! give me ideas, tell me what you think! if no one reviews, i dont know if you like it (i think most people do, but i could be wrong!) ill update ASAP...though more reviewsquicker updates!**


	10. Remembering

**Thanx 2 all of my reviewers! You guys rock and i still get giddy from reviews. i hit fifty! yayayay! but PLEASE, REVIEW! here ya go, hope u like.**

Hermione pounded on the door mercilessly, not willing to accept the fact that no matter how hard she concentrated she was unable to break the charms that bound her inside the guilded cage that contained her.

"Damn!" She screamed, doubting that anyone would be able to hear her frustrated voice through the thick door. The windows were locked and hexed so that the glass could not shatter. She was trapped.

Begrudgingly she admired Malfoy for his capability to jinx an entire room within minutes, but the more reasonable side of her wished that he would just drop dead.

With anger she beat into the walls, as though half-expecting them to burst open and reveal a flowery path leading to Harry and away from Malfoy...though for some odd reason, the very thought of him still brought those familiar butterflies dancing in her stomach that she could not suppress.

She reflected on all of the secrets and important facts that she knew about The Order, Dumbledore and Harry. Whispering a curse quickly under her breath she called for her pensieve to pop to her. She had already attempted to make a portkey...four times, and it just did not work. Again she felt a twinge of pride for Malfoy that was washed away by her annoyance.

Using her hand as a transporter she pressing it to her temple, continuing to remove memories from her mind.

Suddenly...as thought of Malfoy came to her mind...she pulled out a very important one. "Damn it!" She proclaimed, pulling her hand away hastily, looking down into the swirling gray basin cautiously.

"I need that back," She hissed, falling face first into the basin, falling through cold darkness and at last landing on her hindquarters in the middle of a grassy meadow...a memory that she hated, but somehow needed to continue living. If she did not have this than she had no reason to hate Malfoy.

The world around her was dark, the moon but a sliver of its greatness. She could smell the air...taste the biting sea. Oh, what a fool she had been. She had fallen head over heels in love with Malfoy and did not even question _why _he wanted her to meet him there...with Harry and Ron.

She obliged jollily and, sulkily, Harry had joined, but they had needed to practically drag the furious Ron to this piece of abandoned land. He had been suspicious from the start.

Hermione (now) whirled around to see herself (then) walking side by side with both Harry and Ron. She leaded the group haughtily, not noticing the indistinct and unsure conversation waging behind her.

Her two best friends both had their hands inside their cloaks, clutching on their wands in an almost defensive manner, displaying their obvious mistrust.

Hermione (now) maneuvered her way around the group, listening intently to Ron and Harry. "...trusts him, shouldn't we?" Harry asked in a hushed whisper, though Ron did not seem so sure.

"He's a Malfoy, for Merlin's sake! How'd we know that this isn't just some trap?" He questioned sternly, looking furtively at Hermione (then). But she did not notice any of this little conversation.

"I trust him as far as...well, _Hermione _could throw him!" He exclaimed quietly, Hermione (now) huffed in indignance.

"Why didn't you tell me?" She asked aloud, though she knew that they could not hear her. This did not bother her, she needed to vent. If they had displayed their concerns, perhaps she would not be in her current situation.

Hermione was blinded by her love for Malfoy. She trusted him so wholly and completely that his sudden behavioral change, odd and random jealousies and everything else in betwixt, she had not seen what was going on. She did not want to see any of it.

That is why the sudden explosions of blinding light the erupted from both sides of the group had come as a shock to her...though Harry and Ron hardly seemed overly surprised at this. Hermione (now) swore that she could see them exchange significant looks before ducking for cover.

As though out of instinct Harry dove forward and toppled Hermione (then), as to shield her from the rays of light blasting towards them. He quickly picked up his wand and muttered several curses, though he did not dare speak the killing curse. As a hopeful Auror he knew that it was better to bring the prisoners in alive whenever possible, for questioning. He would only kill if it deemed necessary.

Ron did the same, though Hermione (then) could not move under the weight of Harry. He did not shift his position, fearing that if he allowed Hermione (then) to be vulnerable she would be killed.

"DO NOT TOUCH THE MUDBLOOD!" A voice boomed in the background, its vengeance and anger familiar. _Voldemort._

Harry stood up, blasting curses and countercurses left and right, not really knowing where to aim. Hermione joined him, creating a protective bubble around both he and Ron where there was only a single weak spot to shoot curses from. She could not create such a device on her self but, seeing as Voldemort wished her alive, she did not fret.

She could sense that they were winning. Ron, Harry and herself had confiscated near twenty wand. Most of the Death Eaters had given up...but one remained.

"I'll check the forest for survivors." Hermione proclaimed after ten minutes of silence from the woods surrounding them. Harry expressed his distaste for this idea but she shrugged him off.

"I can defend myself, Harry. Heal Ron." She assured before disappearing into the forest, leaving Harry to patch up the minor injuries Ron had acquired.

Hermione (now) felt like an idiot. Why couldn't she see then that it was Malfoy who had given away their coordinates? But she still trusted him blindly. Still, she followed herself into the forest, knowing better than to lose herself in the memory.

She stumbled through the woods, muttering _lumos _so that she could at least see a few feet in front of her. Everything seemed eerily quiet and still. Hermione (then and now) knew better than to believe that every Death Eater had evacuated the area. Some would stay around, hoping to catch Harry, Ron and Hermione off guard. It wouldn't work.

She heard the rustling of bushes in front of her and she whirled her wand around nervously, though she concealed it well. "Who's there?" She questioned stupidly, not wanting to hex a friend.

Malfoy appeared out of the bush, smirking, hands up. "Just me." He replied, the smirk not quite reaching his eyes.

Hermione (then) dove towards him, clutching his neck tightly and kissing him fervently. "Trying to choke me, woman?" He joked sarcastically, though she could not let go.

"Oh, I was so worried!" She exclaimed, jumping off the ground and wrapping both of her legs around his waist. He fought off arousal and just grinned, kissing her passionately but more ferociously than usual. She did not notice this change and continued to ramble on.

"Are Potty and Weasel okay?" He questioned without true concern, though she pushed this away and nodded quickly.

"They're fine. Ron's a little beat up but he'll survive. What about you? Did you find them?" He shook his head, relishing in the fact that she was still kissing him passionately, so utterly concerned about his wellbeing.

"What about you?" He asked, this time he did seem to actually care. She smiled and shook her head.

"I'm fine. If it hadn't been for Harry I'm not so sure I would've been." Malfoy looked at her sharply, his gray eyes bubbling with anger and confusion unlike she had ever seen from him.

"What did _Potter _do?" He spat the name out like a curse word, and Hermione suddenly remembered his ravenous and unfounded jealousies.

"Nothing, nothing." She replied quickly, though from the look she received from Malfoy she could tell that he knew she was lying.

"He just, er, jumped on me and shielded me." She said as quickly as she could manage, trying to make it sound unimportant. From the look of fury etched across his faced seh could tell that he did not think it so trivial.

"He just _lunged _on you? What about Weasel? Did he jump him too?" Hermione shook her head, avoiding his eye contact. He had always had his suspicions about Harry, but none of them had ever been valid. This seemed to be proof.

"And you just _let him_? Did he try and cop a feel, do anything iffy?" He inquired with such mistrust that she could hardly believe that he was truly her love, Draco Malfoy.

"We're just friends, Draco." She responded coolly, stepping away from him slightly. He would not allow that.

With anger Malfoy snatched her arm and walked into her, his chest pressed against hers. "Found a new _boyfriend_, Hermione? Just going to leave me?" He snapped, surprised to see anger rising in her eyes.

"I love _you _and you know that! What is your problem, Draco? Why are you being so..." Her voice trailed off as she could not find a similie for his outrageous behavior.

"Would you do anything for me?" He questioned in a deathly quiet voice. She responded immediately.

"Of course." Hermione (now) groaned. How idiotic had she looked! Trusting him, loving him, wanting him? How could she had been so thick as to not see through him.

"Join me on Voldemort's side." He hissed quietly, watching the growing expression of shock and disbelief growing on his lover's face.

"W...what? You're joking." She insisted, though from the look on his face she could tell that he was not.

"I love you, but _your _side will never win. Together you and I can be the most powerful beings ever! Voldemort wants me to be his heir. You can reign beside me as my queen, Hermione. Be with me..." She pushed away from him, tears sparkling her beautiful brown eyes.

"How...how could you?" She questioned, her voice dangerously high. She refused to believe this. She loved him, and he had betrayed her?

"You told Voldemort where we would be, did you not? You almost got me and my friends killed!"

He shook his head. "No, I ordered for you to not be harmed! I love you, and you should know better than to stay loyal to Potter. They will lose, and I _refuse _to lose you." He snapped, this malevolence dancing in his eyes.

"No...NO!" She screamed hysterically, backing into a tree, her wand shaking in her hand nervously. How could this happen?

Hermione (now) felt herself tearing up as well. This memory was so painful...too painful, but it reminded her of the good in her. No matter how much she loved Malfoy she was good, she was not a traitor.

"I loved you...I LOVED YOU! You bastard, how could you..._crucio!_" She exclaimed angrily, though he barely reacted to the curse. She still could not hate him...yet. It still was not real.

She ran as fast as she could, leaving a stunned and angry Malfoy behind her. Hermione (now) felt a sharp pain in her spine as she was hoisted out of the pensieve and thrown back into the harsh reality by none other than her ex-lover.

"What were you watching, Granger?" He sneered, though from the look on her face he knew exactly what she had seen.

"How could you have done that to me?" She was still crying, but her anger was more pronounced. Reliving this memory was painful, but necessary. She needed to remember why they could no longer be together. _He _had been the traitor, not she.

Malfoy remained silent, not sure what to say to her...

**How d'you like it? Heehee, i knew that i had to elaborate on everything, explain how she figured out that he was a Death Eater. REVIEW, PLEASE! tell me, should i do more memories or just forget them and move on? ill move on l8er n e way, but PLEASE, review!**


	11. Love Lost, but Not Forgotten

**Heehee, yesterday i had a funnyfun dance w/dancing and eating. YUM! teehee, glad i have time to update, didnt think i would. but...i really like this story! PLEASE, IF YOU ARE READING THIS WHEN YOU FINISH READING MY NEW CHAPPIE, REVIEW! i wanna kno if i should keep up with it, change something, or just tell me if you like it! all reviews accepted!**

Malfoy cleared his throat, eying the crying Hermione with unhidden concern. He loved her, he could not imagine life without her...but he had to suffer through meaningless years as her enemy. He wanted to be her ally, her lover.

"That was a long time ago." He said sympathetically, not surprised when she replied with a string of curses (as in swears) and choked sobs.

"You betrayed me...all of us! I trusted you more than ANYONE and you left me?" She screamed bitterly, crawling to her feet, her eyes still red and sore. Malfoy was many things, angry, passionate, quick-tempered, but he was never speechless. Only she was able to bring this less-than-affiable trait out in him.

"I loved you more than I could ever love anyone, but you just...selfish!" She shouted, hurting Malfoy with her use of past tense. He refused to be bested by a weak, frail, hysterical witch.

"You could have joined me...you still can!" He explained, though by the look of fiery contempt in her eyes he knew that she would rather swallow a bottle of SkeleGro than even consider such an offer.

"It was about power, it always is! I did not want either of us to die. No one else matters. My allegiances are with the Dark Lord now, not with that Muggle loving fool and his protege." He snapped after seeing the seething hatred boiling inside Hermione. She scoffed at the comment.

"'Muggle loving?' You claimed to love me, and I am a Muggleborn, always have been and always will be! Your hatred for Dumbledore and Muggles is unfounded. You are a scared little boy who only cares about himself." She sneered, throwing all of the ammunition she could afford at him. She felt as though a great weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. She longed to tell him this for years, but she was still dissatisfied.

In the blink of an eye he was inches away from her, clutching her forearm tightly and pressing her against the stone wall. "I remember when I used to feel something when you touched me." She remembered aloud, masking her fear with anger and contempt.

"Now all I feel is nauseous. You allowed yourself to become what we had hated for so long, what we fought against, what we were trying to protect Harry fro..." He would not allow her to finish.

"Potter? Why is everything about HIM with you, with everyone? What's so wonderful about him? I know how he felt..._feels _about you. Even when we were together, I saw how he looked at you! After you _disowned_ me" He began, looking disgusted at the word. "I saw him hanging around you, trying to get you to see him in a different way. How quickly you move on." Hermione could not take this and, with flourish, she shoved him away from her, a look of utter repulse replacing her rage.

"You watched me? Oh, you are sick, Malfoy!" She shouted, the tears slowly and her voice quivering significantly.

"And how _dare _you assume that I _moved on quickly, _you little maggot! I died that day, I lost the one thing that kept me believing continuously. Your loyalty, your love?"

Malfoy shook his head continually, narrowing his eyes, his nostrils flaring. "You could _never _lose my love, no matter what happened. No matter who got in between us. I will always love you." She sneered, pacing the room anxiously, annoyed with his pleading.

"If you claim to love me so much, why won't you just let me go?" She almost begged, not understanding how selfish he could be.

"I cannot let you go so easily." He responded simply.

"I don't want you anymore!"

"That's not why. The world is a different place. You wouldn't survive for a day out there with all of the battles waging everywhere."

"Not if I went to Harry." She replied quietly, looking at the look of anger and disgust growing steadily on his face, along with the color of red rushing to his face.

"No." He snapped angrily, his eyes narrowing, their cold aloofness replaced by venomous jealousy.

"I refuse to let you be his." He hissed, his voice slow and filled with rage that she feared that he would hurt her.

"I'm not yours, and I'm not his." She snapped, never braking eye contact.

"Really?" He asked, though there was no inquisitiveness in his tone or nature. Before she could stop him he was pressed up against her again, his chest pressed onto hers. Almost viciously he dove into her, parting her lips with his tongue, examining her mouth carefully, delighting in the ability to kiss her once more.

**Kinda cliffie, kinda not. GIVE ME REVIEWS! Love, hate, N E THING!**


	12. Passion

**This weekend was funnish, tho not really. welllllllll...ive finally go the entire story worked out in my head and but EVERYTHING is changeable..if you just leave a little review! ;-) hope u enjoy!**

Hermione wasn't sure whether to scream in anguish or to deepen the kiss. Her body undeniably longed to be one with his, but she shrugged this off uneasily. No matter his physical allure Draco Malfoy was nothing more than a dirty, disgusting Death Eater.

She pushed away without avail, Malfoy was strong and had not been trapped in a small cell for the past year of his life. He pressed up against her and kissed her deeply, almost bruisingly. She winced in pain and fought against him, but his strength was overpowering.

Eventually she gave up moving, hoping that in some way this would turn him off. It did not. She could feel the bulge betwixt his legs hardening against her, and she screamed in disgust. He did not care if she wanted him or not, she would have him. Hermione was comforted by the fact that she had a hex on her warding off rapists, but she still did not want him using her body in such a sickening manner. It appalled her.

"Geroff!" She called gruffly, allowing her body to go limp as he fed on her greedily. At long last he released her, if only to see what her reaction was.

Malfoy expected tears of outrage, screaming, beating, _anything_, but she refused to satisfy him. "Get out." She said coldly, as though the chambers that accomodated her were her own. He smiled oddly in return, fixing his clothes and fighting his erection.

"I don't want you anymore. No matter how hard you try, you are nothing to me. Beneath me (A/N: sorry, it seemed so buffy/spike at this moment)." He flinched at the words and smirked oddly.

"You will be mine, Hermione. I love you and I know you love me too." He was not trying to convince her, just simply stating it. Of course it was true, against her own will and better judgment she loved him, but she refused to act upon it. He was the enemy and no matter how much this intensified the relationship, she would not risk her and her friend's lives for some passion.

He walked away, leaving Hermione with those slightly affronting words. She collapsed onto the bed in front of her, wincing in pain as she thought of Harry. _I need to find him_. She realized as she pulled herself together, preparing to call on him.

She, Ron and Harry had an intense connection that they could almost get into one another's mind, penetrate the forcefields. She _needed_ him to sense her, if he did not she would be lost forever. With that she concentrated on his face, his smile, his eyes, his scar. Within minutes (which was surprising, to acquire such a connection she usually needed hours and perfect health) she felt him, sensed him, and knew that he sensed her too...

**Short chappie, i kno! but a bit of a cliffie, to oblige my faithful readers harry will make an appearance, though i was not planning on it! REVIEW, PLEASE!**


	13. Harry's Epiphany

**Finally, I update:cheers in the background: okay, i hope u likey, ive been preoccupied w/Seeing What Should Not Be Seen, only _slightly _obsessed with finishing this one. Pleaz...REVIEW! not much Malfoy in this chappie, but more on Ron and Harry! this is a kinda long chappie, so brace yourself!**

She blinked quickly, shockeda t how easily she could enter Harry's mind. This talent was, sadly, wellknown and common for older wizards. The guards at her prison had warded her cell against Muggleborn magic at all. If either of her friends even attempted to sense her they would think her dead

The protection system in her cell became useless after a while, seeing as in Hermione's weakened state she would be unable to concentrate, anyway. She rejoiced in Malfoy's negligence, glad that he had slighted her abilities.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Harry jumped up in surprise and realization, looking around the damp room he was trapped in. For a mere instant he had seen Hermione's face...a bedroom. She looked so thin. The only other times he had seen and felt such things was when he, Ron and Hermione used to communicate telepathically.

They first started doing this when they were in different classes (such as when Ron and Harry were trapped in Divination and Hermione was in Arithmancy) he had simply gotten bored and dounf that he could communicate, though not efficiently. She had seen mere flashes of him and the Divination room and he could sense her in an odd, indefinable way.

They strengthened this skill after Hermione's breakup with Malfoy, seeing as her thirst for victory had become insatiable.

These skills are what made them such a powerful team of Aurors, basically inseperable. Over the past yar Harry and Ron grew closer, though both of them had sunk into depression after all hope for Hermione's return had faded into a distant dream.

Harry tried to shake the feeling as he continued to duel a baffled Dean. "You're telegraphing. Stop inflicting motion on your arm before you curse. It gives away your plan." Harry warned, easily besting Dean once more.

As they finished Harry continued to feel pangs of emotions that were not his own coursing throug his body. "Ron," He said breathlessly as he traveled a near-empty corridor. This painful excuse for a facility was where hopeful Aurora trained in hopes of destroying Voldemort.

"What?" He replied in his usual ornery way...at least since Hermione's alleged death and Ginny's medically proven one.

Not that Harry was before Ron, he did not know what to say. "I'm sort of...well, the thing is, -er-, well..." Ron sighed, obviously agitated at his friend's inarticulativeness.

"Stop rambling."

Harry regained control and exoplained his sudden insight to a flabbergasted Ron.

"It felt the same? You saw her...where do you reckon she is? I suppose most places have a bed, but did you see anything familiar?" Harry though pensively, recalling the positions of the objects in the room.

"Dumbledore's old quarters." It did not feel like he had said that, and he had spoken most unintentionally. But he knew it was truth.

"Dumbledore?" Ron said breathlessly, evidenly and rightly surprised.

"But, um, you-know-know's camped out there in Hogwarts." The little color from Harry's face drained as Ron spoke these words. It felt as though he would vomit.

"Take me to Dumbledore."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Dumbledore was just as shocked as Ron, though he concealed it much more efficiently.

"Did you hear her?" He asked quietly, looking at Harry with his sparkling blue eyes. Like a child he shook his head, concentrating on keeping his mind open.

"Hermione Granger could easily be the edge we need to win this war. If she was able to enter your mind briefly and made her presence know, I am quite sure that she is strong enough to sustain the connection. Voldemort most likely has no idea of killing her...yet."

Ron, unlike his old headmaster, did not hide his confusion well. "Why's you reckon he'd keep her alive?" Harry winced as a though entered his mind uninvitedly.

"Bait. Get us out of hiding long enough to..." His voice trailed off. There was no reason to complete that sentence.

"D'you think you-know-who's golden boy has anything to do with this?" Dumbledore turned to Ron sharply, anger blazing in his eyes for an instant.

"Draco Malfoy." Harry sneered at the mention of his name.

"Traitorous bastard if there ever was one. He probably wants us there so he can kill us." Ron nodded angrily before speaking.

"Not that it matters, of course. We'll get her no matter what." Ron proclaimed, Harry beaming at him.

"I fear that it will not be so black-and-white as this. As forementioned, Draco Malfoy, may pose a problem." There was a collective sneer and shudder at the mention of the name.

"As Mr. Weasley so rightly pointed out, he has become something like a right hand man to Voldemort. Perhaps Ms. Granger's capture had..._other_ intentions." He suggested darkly. Harry exclaimed in outrage at this, disgusted by the mere suggestion.

"We did that hex on the women, though, remember?" Ron said, causing Harry to sight in relief.

"Oh, yes. But I douvt that this will stop him from...woong Ms. Granger in hopes of turning her. He did attempt this before and some of our reliable spies have said that he has become rather obsessed with having her." Dumbledore pointed out gently, furtherly enraging the two mem before him.

"We're going to save her."

**How'd you like? More malfoy&hermione action next chappie, but first REVIEW! im desperate to have 100 reviews in the next two or so chappies, SO IF YOU ARE READING THIS, PRESS THAT LITTLE 'GO' BUTTON AND REVIEW!**


	14. Peaceful Slumber

**It's been awhile since i updated (cough, cough, twenty-five days) bit im more into Seeing What Should Not Be Seen, Again, even if this story is more popular! i love reviews and i love reviewers...DONT U WANT MY LOVE? haha, im weird. ENJOY...**

Malfoy was more frustrated with Hermione than he had been with anyone in the span of his entire life. She refused to speak with him, adamantly refused. She forced him to eat some of her meal and drink her drink before she would even touch it and, in fear of incurring her wrath, few Death Eaters dared to even approach her.

"Take your time with this one, Draco." The Dark Lord told him time and time again, but after the pensieve incident it seemed less and less likely that she would ever forgive him. _With good reason, _his subconscious admitted, but Malfoy was a stubborn man who refused to believe that he could possibly be in the wrong.

When he entered her bedroom the next evening he was relieved to find her unconscious, he wasn't sure how much more he could take of her throwing random objects in her direction.

She looked so peaceful, with her eyes closed he could not see the rage buried beneath them, and her face was relaxed and not grimacing. _She is beautiful..._in his eyes. Hermione Granger was never a great beauty, she was attractive, but something about her was exceedingly plain. However, she had a keen intellect and was one of the most accomplished witches of this age, and all of those traits seemed to be priority in comparison to such simple and fading traits such as exquisite hair and astonishing features.

He left her tray by her bed, but knew that she would not touch it. _She is a smart girl, _and this made him proud. She rarely looked him in the eye anymore unless she was chucking something in his direction and did not speak to him unless she was screaming. Each insult and plea played in his mind repeatedly, though she fought her tears successfully.

The Dark Lord was exceedingly interested in her and her talents aside from the prophecy foretelling either the birth of a savior or murderer. He preferred the latter.

"As long as Harry Potter still lives, I can never fully survive." Voldemort said coldly, knowing that he would either kill Harry or be killed by the boy.

Malfoy thought of all of this as he watched Hermione sleep, her breathing regular, the blankets pulled up to her chin protectively as she mumbled in her sleep. " 'Arry..." She slurred, a small smile surfacing on her lips. Before he could attempt to control himself, he struck her hard across the face.

Hermione's eyes snapped open and flashed dangerously as she spat out blood, still reeling from the force of his strike. She felt her eyes blur with tears but wiped them away automatically, staring daggers at Malfoy.

"Not enough that you've kidnapped me, locked me inside Dumbledore's old quarters and have given me no outside information, you have resorted to hitting me as I sleep?" She snarled, sitting upright and pushing the covers off of her body.

"I told you that I would not tolerate that name coming from your lips." He sneered, his gray eyes alight with fury as he spoke.

"What are you talking about? Have you gone positively insane?" She asked angrily, wiping the blood from her face.

"In your sleep you said _his _name." He refused to say it, just as most of the wizarding population refused to speak Voldemort's name.

"And you thought hitting me would be the solution?" As she spoke he realized the idiocy in his reasoning. She has not disobeyed him, she could not control her subconscious fully...

"If you were going to do anything, you should have awoken me, you prat." She snapped, straightening her dressing gown compulsively. Malfoy unsheathed his wand and murmured a spell, her abrasions instantly healing.

"Thank you," She mumbled, eying him with a look of complete and total revulsion. "I would like to go back to sleep...and I'm not hungry."

Malfoy grunted at the claim. "You won't escape by starving yourself, and I'm not going to poison you."

She narrowed her eyes slightly before nodding curtly and, for the first time, willingly eating before Malfoy even tested the food.

**kind of a filler chappie, but REVIEW!**


	15. Asphyxiate

**wow, i updated. shocked, i like this story and it's one of my favorites, but i do prefer SWSNBS(A), but i decided to be a good person and update. so U be good people and REVIEW! i cant help but send a plea out to taintless, now that ive updated this will u update Deal With the Devil? the cliffhanger's KILLING me.**

The route to Hogwarts was not an easy one. In the Headmaster's absence layers upon layers of protective spells and charms had been cast, jinxes that would make Hermione green with envy. The thought of her brought a rush of emotion swelling to Harry's chest.

"We will save her, Harry. I can assure you that Miss Granger will be safe from harm." Dumbledore whispered, somehow reading his old student's expression.

Ron couldn't let that go without adding his own two cents, or knuts, in this occasion. "And if she's got so much as a bruise Malfoy'll be deader than a doorknob, though I never quite got the expression..." He added cheerfully, and Harry had to resist laughing.

_We're almost here_.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

"Hello, Hermione." His voice was dangerously soft and she knew the instant that he had entered that there was something wrong. She did not bother to respond and only scowled in return, as usual.

Before she had even realized his intense anger he was upon her, his cold, pale hands wrapped around her thin neck, choking the life out of her. She could not scream due to the lack of breath in her lungs, but she did not go down without a fight. When he finally released her there were beet-red scratches traveling up the side of his arms and bruises as battle scars.

Malfoy looked down on her as she hyperventilated and attempted to regain her composure to no avail. She collapsed to the floor, still conscious and alert. He read the question in her eyes, though she was quite sure that he would have shouted it, anyway.

"How could you do this? To me! To _me_!" This seemed to be the part that got Malfoy's figurative goat the most.

"Wha-w-whaat?" She asked, massaging her throat gingerly.

He rolled his eyes, completely out of his own character, yes, but he did it anyway. "Potty and Weasel are on their way, to save _you_, no doubt! You must've somehow informed them, there was no other way the imbeciles could have discovered it!" He roared at the top of his lungs, pacing her room quickly.

"No matter," He said after a few moments, calmer than before. "We'll be rid of them soon, undoubtedly. The Dark Lord will be more than ecstatic to find two squirming Gryffindors in his grip by dawn. Perhaps he won't need you." Despite her state of pain and shock, Hermione was still quite observant and picked up on his use of _you _instantly.

"What?" She croaked yet again, though this time with more conviction. He narrowed his eyes before shaking his head excessively.

"You don't need to know." He snapped, though this time with some type of concern. She recovered rather quickly.

"Yes, I do." Her voice was bossy once more as she struggled to her feet, hand still glued to her throat. "What are you talking about? What is V-Voldemort going to do with me?" She asked, her tone betraying her raw fear.

"Nothing," He replied truthfully, knowing that it would be he who did _something _with her, more like _to _her. Being Hermione Granger she would, obviously, not take this as a justifiable excuse.

"You come into the room you have given to me, strangle me like there's no tomorrow, and then won't elaborate? You brought this...on yourself." She gasped, still not completely recovered.

When he refused to answer, she continued. "You hate that I'm not in love with you, anymore. It's not as though I am, or ever will be, under the influence of Stockholm Syndrome, so why do you even-" Before she could finish he had already snatched her possessively by the hips and thrust her up against the chamber wall, lightly fingering the light fabric as his mouth lingered mere inches from hers.

"I love you. You _will _love me." There was no question in his tone, it was a command.

Hermione bit back a retort as she attempted to untangle herself from his grasp, speaking as kindly as she could manage. "Since when is it up to you who I love, _Malfoy_." She spat the word like a wretched curse word. He lifted his hand up and struck her firmly across the cheek, not a death blow, or even a slap that would cause unconsciousness, but it stung in a different manner. A ruckus sounded, as though on cue, from beneath them.

He backed away from her upon the interruption and turned towards the doors, knowing and dreading who was intruding.

"You can't control me, you know!" She called back after him before the door closed. "You never could."

He merely smirked, though he did not give the reply that he longed to sound, though it reverberated in his mind as he stalked down the stairs towards Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley and Albus Dumbledore. _Watch me_.


	16. Pacing Is Bad For the Soul

**I FINISHED SWSNBS,A! YAY! i decided that before i even _consider _making that a trilogy i've got to finish this story, first. it's older than the ORIGINAL SWSNBS, and i already finished that and a sequel! i feel like i should finish this as well.**

Hermione paced as though she had never paced before. Once Malfoy was out the door, barreling down the stone staircase she had staggered to her feet and changed her clothes, knowing that a lace nightie would be inappropriate attire.

"_Bastard._" It was not in Hermione's nature to curse often, though on occasion antagonism got the best of her. Her philosophy was that those who swore were uneducated and had nothing better to say. But in her own rage she simply forgot her own standards.

He assumed that he could control her, force her to do his bidding. Never before had he been more wrong. She was none to give up or give in, even when the circumstances seemed so bleak. When everything crashed around her, when all she held dear had slipped away she still had her own dignity, something that no one could force her to relinquish. Something that could not be broken by spells or torture.

_Fool. _She thought bitterly to herself, still pacing like a madwoman, visions of Harry rescuing her playing in her mind over and over again. Of Malfoy's defeat, of Harry's proclamation of love, for she loved Harry. She could never feel for him with the same intensity that she had for her first love, debatably the love of her life. But she could trust Harry to do what was right. He would _always _do what was right, no matter the consequences.

_He took everything from me with his betrayal, but he doesn't see that when one has nothing left, they cling to the little that they have. _He could have slowly broken her. Everyone has their breaking point, not even she could fight the sad truth in that. But first he destroyed her life, took away nearly everything, some of it inadvertently. He betrayed her trust and love and came near close to demolishing her hope. He tore her from her friends and yet still expected that she would be with him if he was all that was left. _I thought he knew me better than that._

"Harry, Ron. Save me." She said aloud, almost pleadingly. She recalled a time when she would have resented rescue, preferred to figure it out on her own. That time of overdone pride had long since evaporated. If she was going to survive, coexist in this world, she would need all the help she could get.

_He won't let me go. He'll just cling to me for all eternity until he drains the life from me. _With that unpleasant thought she kicked the door, knowing that it would not budge but kicking it all the same.

"Damn him." She mumbled, daintily collapsing onto 'her' bed, kicking her legs outward and frowning deeply.

"They will save me. Harry's never let us down before." She lied blindly, not willing to acknowledge the fact that it was two, perhaps three, against the strongest wizard ever known, his powerful right hand man and two dozen Death Eaters.

"Oh, Merlin, we're doomed."

**id b thinking the same thing, tho she still has hope. i kno it's short, but ive been busy with school, i kno, hackneyed excuse but and excuse all the same. hope this chappie's up to scratch.**


	17. Not Over Until

**Rite now im supposed to be doing a gym project that I basically have done sooo….i decided to grace y'all with a new chapter. I kno, I kno, im wonderful…er, sure. This will be relatively longer than the rest and though at the time im not positive, this may actually be one of the final chapters.**

Harry and Ron fought like they had never fought before, both with overwhelming motivation. Dumbledore loomed behind them, a grim and powerful participant. The floodgates seemed to open, releasing dozens of the Dark Lord's most accomplished servants.

"Send them all but I will live to see Malfoy die." Harry snarled as he fought his way towards the castle with ease, his rage driving him more powerfully than his own strength.

Ron nodded furiously in agreement, accidentally elbowing a man behind him, yet happy with the result all the same. "Professor and I will meet you in there, but you've got to get to that bloody bastard before he gets a chance to take her." Harry concurred, diving into the crowd and waiting for Ron to make a distraction.

"Potter's that way!" He heard a loud voice roar over the bustling crowd of the Death Eater's, pointing in the direction that Harry had been not twenty seconds before. Taking advantage of their confusion he made his way to the castle doors and whipped out his two old friends, the Marauders Map and his Invisibility Cloak.

He was surprised at how much he remembered of the old school there were certainly differences from the Hogwarts years ago and now, such as the fact that the halls were no longer brimming with silly yet beautiful paintings and eager students. Everything seemed deader than he recalled, but he did not dwell on his fact for long before he searched like a madman.

He could hear the stifled noises from outside, the explosions and shrieks of pain. He winced in a lame attempt to shut this all out before he heard movement behind him. He whirled around quickly but he was too late.

"_Accio, _Invisibility Cloak!" A powerful yet drawling voice commanded, sounding quite bored with the situation. Harry could feel the cloak slip off of his body and fly through the air and straight into Malfoy's arms.

It felt as though at that moment the two of them had suddenly went hurtling through a time loop and back into their second year, when their rivalry had nothing whatsoever to do with Hermione. "Malfoy." He greeted coldly. He reciprocated the aloof salutation with a stiff nod of the head.

"How have you been doing? You look positively dreadful." Harry commented, watching as a shade of pink rose to the tips of his cheeks.

"You look ill as well. A haircut is in order." He snapped back, somehow maintaining his tone of cool indifference expertly.

Harry frowned slightly. "Well now that we have established that neither of us are good looking and both of us have aged like a bowl of overripe fruit I would find it best that we just get on with it."

Malfoy nodded curtly. "I assume that you have noticed that, though I caught you unaware, I left you with your wand purposefully."

"Yes, I did." Both of them were sure that they had never been in a more hostile yet guarded conversation in their lives. "Let us not mince words. Where is she?" For the first time in their conversation Malfoy's face betrayed his possessiveness.

"You can't touch her, Potter." He snarled, taking a step forward threateningly. He refused to back down.

"I think not. She doesn't want you. Never has and, frankly, I doubt that she ever will. Not after you, forgive my crudeness, screwed her over, I doubt that she will be in want of your company." Malfoy's face became impassive and unreadable once more, though his eyes darkened with every word Harry spoke.

"You're not wrong. But Hermione is a clever girl. She will figure out what is best for her, and I truly am. The Dark Lord will never be defeated; you cannot disillusion yourself enough to believe that. With you she will live a life of terror and that of a fugitive. With me she can be safe." Harry seemed to think otherwise.

"You'll be eating your words, Malfoy. She doesn't want to be with you or else she would not have informed us that she was still alive, a fact that we had done our best to prove to no avail." Malfoy smirked slightly before twirling his own wand in his long, pale, and tapered fingers.

"The poor girl is confused. She doesn't know what's right and what is ridiculously wrong. She was trapped in the confines of that dreadful prison for a long while, Potter. If I had not saved her…" He let his voice trail off mysteriously, his eyes fixing on Harry's scar. "Not even you, the _Chosen One, _can take her from me." He informed him coldly.

Harry found himself wearing a smile that did not quite reach his eyes. "I have a feeling that you can do nothing to stop me." He remarked, waving his wand with a flourish.

"I was hoping that you wouldn't get your knickers in a bunch. I cannot kill you," He admitted regrettably. "But I can certainly have some fun." And with that sentiment, the spells began to fly.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Hermione was not one to surrender her efforts easily, but the incessant pounding on her door was getting on her nerves. She released the door handle, sure that the _intruder _could have entered with ease if he had wanted. _But then he would harm Malfoy's prize. _She realized grimly, backing away from the door.

"Hello, Hermione." She was vaguely surprised that Percy Weasley dared to darken her doorstep after their last meeting had resulted in the death of several of his colleagues.

"Percival," She inclined her head slightly, keeping her expression impassive and eyes fixed on his.

Percy frowned dramatically. "Ah, I can remember a time when we got along and saw eye to eye on many matters, albeit _elf _rights." He grimaced at the gloomy memory.

She was quick to comment. "Yes, that was before you abandoned reason for this madness and I remained loyal. Traitors always get their comeuppance, in this world or the next." The haughty glint in his eye had vanished in an instant. Hermione was satisfied.

"Yet it is I who have been living in luxury while you have been curled up in some hovel, wasting your talents and youth." The slight was not overlooked but she did her best to ignore it.

"I can make this moderately easy for you, Percival. You can release me into the castle and maintain your _life of luxury _until karma inevitably catches up with you or Malfoy does." Reading his expression she continued. "Or you can just continue with your not-so-witty banter, teasing me until at long last you discover that I can escape with or without your help. Well for both ways I need you. Think." She waited for three breaths until he spoke.

"You are more silly than I recall. My sister must have rubbed off on you-" Hermione cut him off.

"Before dear Draco murdered her. Not only are you a traitor to the Order, you have also betrayed your very family." If he had heard her he showed no indication. "Have you come to a decision?" She asked politely.

He smirked, an expression that would shame even Malfoy. "I believe that you have known that I would refuse you since the instant I walked into the room." He replied, looking down at her broodingly.

"Your loss." She shrugged before leaping to her feet with a rush of adrenaline, taking his left arm in her hand and twisting it over his neck, snatching his free hand and twisting it the wrong way so that he let out a gasp of pain.

"Now, would you like to unlock this door for me? Again, I could do it with or without you but only one of those ways will result in your survival." She took his wand from out of one of the pockets in his robe. He had not wished her to see it.

"_Obliviate_." She muttered, pressing the wand to his temple and expertly modifying his memory. Releasing him she spoke one last spell, this one much more clearly. He collapsed to the ground, still alive, only immobilized.

"You are quite fortunate that I do not wish you death." She informed the unconscious figure of Percy before focusing her remaining energy on the door and it's charms, knowing that she could never have unlocked it without a wand. Wandless magic was powerful, but not nearly as strong as when a wand or some sort of focusing objects.

_Time for a showdown. _She thought to herself, immediately cringing at the hackneyed phrase but finding it necessary nonetheless. She knew that by the next morning she would either be free of Malfoy or dead.

**Three pages, better than usual, huh? REVIEW, if I get enough I'll actually update within a week. If not it could take much longer, I've got a shit load of homework.**


	18. Witty Banter and Reunited

**yeah, kinda pissy. mom's a bitch, shocker. but i like to write when im mad so, there i go.**

"I really would prefer to pound you into the ground using my bare hands but, alas, I have the inclination that you did not come here to fight me." Malfoy feigned sadness at the fact.

Harry rolled his eyes. "What was the indicator, the fact that I ordered that you surrender Hermione or that I said 'I'm not here to fight you?'" He asked with well-composed dignity.

"Both of us know that that will never happen, Harry. I'm shocked you would even suggest such a thing. I thought that both of us were intelligent people, me more so, but nonetheless..."

"While this witty banter is invigorating, assuredly, I would just like to get on with the death and torture until you reveal the whereabouts of Hermione." Harry's eyes were cold and nearly expressionless, but there was an unfamiliar longing and want that resided inside of them.

"You thought that she was dead for years. Why now, all of a sudden, do you find it necessary to play knight?" Harry scoffed at the remark.

"She will never be a damsel in distress, Malfoy. You of all people should know this." Malfoy's hand instinctively went to the spot on his face where she had slapped him. "Don't you want her to be happy?"

His answer was hesitant. "Not if it compromises my own comfort. I could hardly rest, let alone move on while she was trapped in that dreadful prison. I could feel her, she and I have a connection, you see."

"As does she and I. The three of us are interconnected." The third party, though unstated, was obviously in reference to Ronald Weasley.

Malfoy seemed unperturbed. "So I'm not part of the owling list, Potter? Sad, a sad thing indeed." Harry had the grace to look severely irritated.

"I thought that we decided against the witty banter, or did you change the rules on me?" He asked, his annoyance replaying as the sentiment echoed through the empty halls. "You're stalling." He said, a sudden yet obvious revelation.

Malfoy shrugged. "I could have disarmed you but the Dark Lord wants you for himself." He replied.

Harry raised his eyebrows. "Really? So you're not afraid." Malfoy looked nearly amused...nearly being the imperative word.

"To repeat a rather overused statement, _you wish." _Both of them frowned in nostalgia of their second year. "That really was the worst year for my hair."

"The fact that Hermione nearly died doesn't even resound some kind of regret?" He said in amusement. It was obvious that Malfoy had not thought of this.

He resolved to shrug once more. "I barely spoke to her at that interval in life. We were far too separated." He was leaving himself open to ridicule.

"And who's fault is that, exactly?" Silence. Harry found it wise to change the subject. "Does it ever bother you?" Reading Malfoy's expression, he continued. "The fact that someone as fantastic and frankly wonderful as Hermione actually loved you and you surrendered this for power?" He was pushing the right buttons.

"I would watch your tongue, Potter." He said through gritted teeth.

Harry paid him no mind. "Until you gave it all up I feared that I would never have a chance with Hermione. Remember the uproar that your 'match' caused? How she braved it all just because she loved you? You do have a way of destroying everything..." He was not a Seeker for six straight years for no particular reason. He saw Malfoy's hand twitch before he reached for his wand and, in that second, Harry shouted a curse at him, sending him hurtling through the air.

"I'm never one to throw the first curse." He said smugly, approaching the form of Malfoy. He held his wand in his outstretched arm and aimed it directly at the collapsed figure beneath him and only paused as he heard someone shouting through the halls.

"HARRY! HARRY!" And there she was, hair thrown haphazardly over her shoulder, eyes alight with happiness as she raced through the hallways, having spotted him.

"HERMIONE!" He called back, abandoning Malfoy in the blink of an eye and barreling towards her, not caring that the intelligent thing to do would be to remain silent and quietly usher her out of the castle and find Ron and Dumbledore. But after years of absence all their pretenses were abandoned and she flung herself into his arms, a smile lighting the entirety of the dark hallway.

She kissed his cheeks furiously before pressing her lips to his, though without tongue. "Oh Merlin, Harry! I cannot believe that you're here! Percy was here, and I got his wand, bloody bastard. Where's Ron? Where's Dumbledore? Where's..." She gasped, her eyes rounding into innocent circles as she looked over Harry's shoulder.

"Don't." Her voice had changed, become suddenly stern and terse, as though terrified. Harry had forgotten that Malfoy had been there.

"I think I will..." And a burst of yellow light exploded from the tip of his wand, no more words exchanged.

**REVIEW and ill UPDATE. we're coming into the homestretch now, only one of two more chapters!**


	19. Unwilling Sacrifice

**MAY BE THE LAST CHAPTER! AHH! I don't know yet, but**

**I'll tell y'all when it's over and done with. ENJOY! (PS, I got**

**a beta!)**

It all happened so fast that, when later questioned, Harry doubted that he would recall the exact course of events. The instant the blinding yellow light exploded from the end of his wand she found herself rotating, still wrapped in Harry's arms.

He was too shocked to fight her and alarmed that Malfoy had recovered so swiftly. But Hermione was a woman of action, as well as contemplation, and in the span of three seconds she took Harry's position and found the spell hitting her directly between the shoulders. She gasped audibly, this was the last sound to reach her ears before she plummeted into deep darkness. Her chest was thrown into a violent spasm before her body collapsed, almost gracefully to the ground, her mane of wild brown hair fluttering in the air before her corpse rigidly meet the floor.

Neither Harry nor Malfoy spoke, as though shell-shocked by her sudden sacrifice. Malfoy was the first, however, to drop to the floor after her and reach towards her throat. Harry did not react with the kindness at the sight of Malfoy touching Hermione.

"GET YOUR BLOODY HANDS OFF OF HER!" he roared, his voice ricocheting off every angle in the hallway, echoing louder and louder with each reverberation. Malfoy ignored him completely and checked her pulse briefly. His fingers lingered and his face, which remained impassive, though his skin paled considerably. He touched her face, desperately, tracing her lips with his index finger.

"What did you do to her?" Harry's voice was low and almost gravelly, as though the great restraint he was showing attempting to break him down into tears.

Malfoy seemed hesitant, but replied nonetheless. "_Lentus Mortalitas_… lingering death. It's a non-verbal spell that-" There was a hitch in his voice that he could not effectively conceal. Harry could not simply leave it at that.

"What? It does what?" he snapped, his eyes never leaving Hermione's ivory face. She did not look asleep…her expression revealed something deeper, more sinister. Death? But he was Harry Potter; he would not accept death when it came.

"It will take a while to take full effect. It's…a more painful means of death." Malfoy seemed weak and stared down at his lost love in disbelief.

"A cure, there must be a cure," Harry muttered, sweeping his two arms beneath Hermione and hoisting her to the air, not bothering to use his wand.

Malfoy looked skeptical, yet he was willing to attempt anything that might save her. "I don't know how. The spell was created to destroy and…" He blinked and Harry was quite sure that he saw a tear lingering in his eye. It disappeared as quickly as it was noticed as Malfoy walked briskly in the halls.

"I'm taking her to Dumbledore," Harry called after the retreating figure of his arch nemesis, unsheathing his wand for protection as he stampeded in the opposite direction.

"Your Dumbledore knows nothing of her condition. You know this as well as I, Potter," He was bluffing wildly, not sure whether or not Harry would take the

bait.

"I'll be the one to determine that," Harry said.

"Suppose not," thought Malfoy.

Malfoy shut his eyes tightly and inhaled, readying himself before speaking. "I would never hurt her. Not in a thousand years." Harry whirled around, his green eyes reflecting his rage.

"You just did," He replied tersely, looking down at Hermione cautiously. "You did this to her and I'll be damned if I let you do anything more," He snarled, continuing down the hallway.

As though it would help, he called after him. "I was aiming for you, Potter! She is the one who took your place."

Harry was, unsurprisingly, unaffected by Malfoy's statement. "When, oh when, Malfoy, are you going to learn to take responsibility for your own actions? When are you going to stop blaming everything else for what you are lacking and what you do? If she dies, Malfoy, you can rest assured that I'll make you beg for death." He called back, something uncharacteristic dwelling in his voice…loathing.

Malfoy unwisely called back. "Then we will be even. I promised the same to you when you killed the junior Weasel." Harry froze mid step.

"That was an accident," He replied, thought the hatred was gone from his voice, replaced with something much more satisfying: fear.

"And, seeing as I already had a falling out, you used me as a scapegoat. I did not realize this until our beloved Hermione accused me of the crime." Harry turned to face him.

"We don't have time to get nostalgic, Malfoy. It was a mistake, a tragic mistake. There was a battle and the two of you were fighting and I missed…" He swallowed hard, readjusting Hermione's position choicely.

"Yes, yes." Malfoy sounded bored and tired of their conversation. "It was dark and you aimed a killing curse in my direction, though I am quite sure that Aurors are forbidden from using those when not in combat with a victim-"

"Criminal," Harry revised coldly.

"I was fighting her and you felt that it would be the noble thing to do, ending my life." Harry looked pointedly terrified.

"You would have killed her. I was trying to save

Ginny."

"No, you were attempting to avenge a wrong, not save the poor Miss Weasley. You were spiteful, enraged that Hermione had dared fall in love with me before you. You have to live with the fact hat I was her first choice; that you were only second best." Harry extended his wand-arm shakily, eyes wild. Malfoy did not seem deterred.

"You close your foul mouth, Malfoy. I would never hurt Ginny…purposefully." He added hastily. "You used her as a shield."

Malfoy nearly laughed at the accusation. "We were fighting, she took a step left to avoid a _Furnuculus_ curse I aimed her way and she stepped right into the _Avada Kedavra_. Quite ironic, really, that the most deadly hex invented resembles the childish chant that Muggles use, 'abra kedabra'? When Hermione forced me to sit through that torturous cartoon, Cinderella, I took notice of that." He commented abstractly.

"She loves me, too, Malfoy. And I'm not about to let her die. And that was a damned good movie." Harry responded through gritted teeth, though he did not move.

"Let me attempt to heal her and I won't betray the secret that you have held for years and is most likely eating away at your shimmering pure soul," He stated sarcastically. "Your Dumbledore cannot heal her and if she dies your secret won't be a secret any longer," He threatened, his gray eyes lingering on her pale and

emotionless face.

"I didn't mean that to happen. I loved Ginny. Not the way she wanted, but I loved her nonetheless. You should be dead." He approached Malfoy nonetheless, Hermione still limp in his arms.

"Hermione would understand. She would realize that it was all incidental. It doesn't mean anything. She would understand." Harry still walked towards Malfoy, as though in a trance.

"But Ron wouldn't…Ron hates you more than I do, for killing his sister, betraying us, though it was not so wholly unexpected." Harry inched his way across the hallway, his eyes wide, skin ashen.

Tears streamed down his face for the first time, and his voice seemed hoarse. "But she loved you, even after what you did. She always loved you, but she would understand why it has to happen." Malfoy's eyes widened slightly, showing his shock and surprise.

Harry muttered the two words that Malfoy was loath to hear. He fell to the floor, his body enveloped in a green glow, his eyes still open and glassed-over when his heart stopped beating, "That's why no one will care that I killed you."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Her eyes opened three days later, though the light was nearly painful to witness after days of darkness. His face seemed so close, yet too far to touch. His

pale scar, his green eyes. And she knew what he had done.

"Hermione…" He called out to her, sounding as though he were miles and miles away. She lifted one shaking hand up and smiled slightly, though the expression did not reach her eyes. She knew that Dumbledore had cured her. That she was safe, out of Hogwarts, a place that at one time was a sanctuary, though only three days before it was a prison.

"I understand." She told him, looking up at him in earnest. "I understand why you had to do it." Harry nodded stiffly before wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into a tight embrace.

"But she doesn't understand," thought Harry. He hoped that she never would. She would just have to live with the lie, the beautiful lie that, in the end, it came to a duel where Malfoy lost. She trusted him. Her loyalty in him had never faltered, even after Sirius, she still trusted him.

And now it was over. It was really, actually, over. No, Voldemort fled in fear. Now there were two wizards who warranted his utmost fear and, regrettably, respect. Dumbledore accepted his explanation, but there was something foreign in his eyes, something that was a rarity to behold. Doubt. He knew the truth without Harry saying it aloud, the real reason behind Draco Malfoy's death: Jealousy.

Old hostilities always die-hard. Harry rarely forgave those who betrayed him or merited his hate and Malfoy was on that rather short list. Was is the imperative word here, dear readers.

Harry knew that he could never be Hermione's first love, first anything, other than husband. He resented Malfoy for taking that from him, though Hermione was, for once, completely unawares.

Ron did not question it when Harry reenacted the idle report, believing every word and actually smacking him on the back several times in congratulation, repeating the sentiment 'good show'.

Perhaps things were not so hopeless as they had originally presumed. Maybe they could win. Maybe, eventually, it would be over, Voldemort gone, the Wizarding world restored. But for now Harry was quite content, despite the fact that he was concealing two hideous secrets, both of which only held one other person...and he was now dead.

Maybe there would be a happy ending. Maybe it would end in death. Whatever the fates had in store, Harry, Ron and Hermione were blissfully ignorant. They planned to enjoy and cherish every moment they had together.

They never knew which one might be their last.

**THE END! Wow, that was painful to write. Mind you, I didn't plan on killing Malfoy, I actually planned on offing Hermione with the lingering death and then I came up with the whole Ginny twist. Don't really care all that much if people don't like it; I think that it's rather realistic and I like it so...TOUGH! Heehee, tell me what you think. Flames respected, though good reviews liked much more.**

THANK YOU SOOO MUCH TO MY BETA, JadedNihilist A.K.A. Lauri.

_Brian: Um, Lauri...chocolate is NOT a food group._

_Lauri: Piff Says youuuuuu!_


	20. AN

**for anyone who still checks this, Their Last is FINALLY up! it's on my page obviously, but here's the URL for anyone interested..**

**http/ **


End file.
